Emotion wavered over Summerset's face. Suddenly, even his bones felt weary. He lowered himself into her chair. "I'll give you my full cooperation, Lieutenant. Shall I wait here while you arrange my transportation?"
"Here's fine."
"Lieutenant," he said before she reached the door. Their eyes met. "It isn't just pride. I can't leave him. He's… he's mine."
"I know it." She let out a sigh. "I'll get a couple of guys in soft clothes in an unmarked to take you home. That should take some of the sting out of it." She opened the door, and turned back with a sneer to steady them both. "Next time he fires you, pal, I'm doing laps in champagne."
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Eve dealt with the transportation, assigned a couple of uniforms to head over to Madison and interview shopkeepers who might have seen Yost flee the scene. Though she didn't put out much hope it would lead to anything, she ordered them to hunt up the maxibus driver for a statement.
Then she gathered up Peabody and went down to the garage.
"He'll stay put? Summerset?"
"Yeah, he'll stay put. If I doubted it, I'd lock him up. Right now, I'm more worried about… well, hmmm," she finished when she saw the object of her concern leaning against the side of her vehicle. "I have a feeling I'm going to need a minute here, Peabody."
"God, he looks so sexy when he's pissed. Can I watch?"
"Stand a minimum of five parking slots away, back turned." She took one step forward. "Record off," she added and heard her aide mutter, "Party pooper."
"You're loitering, ace," Eve said to Roarke. "Get moving or I'll call garage security."
"I want him out of the country." His voice was a whip, slashing clean.
"Even you can't always have what you want."
"And you're the last person I'd have expected to stand in my way on this."
"Yeah, and I'm not real thrilled about it. Summerset is now a material witness. He stays in the city, in protective custody. End of story."
"Fuck your protective custody. Your cops couldn't manage to stay on him for six blocks. Do you think I'd trust them with him now?"
"Don't you mean trust me?"
"Apparently it comes to the same."
That slash hurt, cutting deep across the belly. "You're right, it does, and I let you down. I'm sorry."
Emotion, violent and hot, sprang into his eyes. She braced for them, prepared to let him blast at her until he'd cleared out the turmoil. Instead he turned away, rested his hands on the roof of her vehicle.
"God. Would you stand there and let me slap at you? Have I gone that far over?"
"You've done it for me plenty of times. Point is, I picked the men to trail him, and they lost him. So, it's on me."
"That's bullshit."
"No, that's chain of command. Just like you figuring, because he's yours, what almost happened to him is on you. Once we both swallow that, we move to the next stage. Roarke."
She started to touch his shoulder, then stuck her hand in her pocket. "Don't ask or expect him to do what you wouldn't do yourself. I'm not happy about what happened this morning, but when it comes down to it, he handled himself. Let's give him credit for it, and get back on track."
"They would know he's important to me. What the loss of him, in that way, would do. For the money and the thrill. Well, I've done my share of dirty deeds for the money and the thrill."
She waited a moment. "Is that an Irish thing? Deciding maybe bad stuff happens because you've been bad?"
He gave a half-laugh, turned back to her. "More a Catholic one, I suppose. It springs up at the most unexpected moments, no matter how far you stray. No, I don't think this is payment for my past. But I do think it's crept in from it, and has to be dealt with."
And deal with it he would, no matter how hurtful that might be.
"What aren't you telling me?"
"When I know for certain, I will tell you. Eve, you didn't let me down. I had no right to make you think otherwise."
"It's all right. At least I got to be there when you fired Summerset. Maybe you could wait a couple of weeks, then do it again. For real."
He smiled, trailed his fingertips over the ends of her hair. Then his gaze shifted up and over as the elevator opened. Summerset stepped out between two plainclothes cops.
Eve gave a little sigh as she watched the men lock eyes. There were things between them she would never fully understand. "But I guess right now, you'd better go talk to him and do that manly makeup deal."
"Lieutenant?"
"Yeah, what?"
"Give me a kiss."
"Why should I?"
"Because I need it."
She rolled her eyes for form, but rose onto her toes and touched her mouth to his. "They got security cams in here, so that's all you get. I've got places to go. Peabody!"
Still she waited until Roarke had crossed the garage, walked up the line of unmarked vehicles to Summerset.
"They're like family, huh?" Peabody said as she got into the car. "Hey! That makes you sort of like Summerset's daughter-in-law."
Horror drained all color from Eve's cheeks. All she could do was press a hand to her stomach. "Jesus, I feel sick."
The Minces were staying in what the hotel called their Executive Suite, Luxury Level. This meant the room was large, airy, and separated into sitting room and bedrooms by a fancy latticed screen that bloomed with flowering vines. A corner of the sitting room was efficiently arranged into a mini-office area with a communication and data system built into a trim console so those executives fortunate enough to be able to afford the accommodations could work in style.
Mince had obviously been doing just that when Eve interrupted him. The console was humming discreetly, and there was, a pot of coffee sitting on the refreshment extension.
"Oh, Lieutenant. I'd forgotten you were coming."
"I appreciate you agreeing to speak with me."
"Of course, of course, it's not a problem at all." He gave the suite a distracted look, seemed mildly surprised to find all in place. "I'm afraid I tend to bury myself in work once I begin. Poor Minnie despairs of me. I think she said she was going out to shop, or was it the beauty salon? Did you want to speak to her as well?"
"I can always arrange for that another time."
"Let me get you something. The coffee's probably fresh. I think Minnie plunked it down for me before she left."
"Thanks." She agreed because it would keep things informal, then sat on one of the pretty chairs while he fussed with cups.
"And for you, Officer?"
"If it's no trouble."
"Not at all, not at all. Such a wonderful hotel. Everything you could possibly need or want right at your fingertips. I have to admit, when Magda had the brainstorm to hold the event here, I wasn't happy. I've certainly changed my mind."
"She was set on it?"
"Ummm. She wanted the auction in New York. She had her first professional role onstage here. Though she made her true mark in film, she's never forgotten it was Broadway that gave her the first break."
"You've been together, you and Magda, a long time."
"Longer than either of us would like to remember."
"Like family," Eve said, remembering Peabody's statement.
"Oh yes, very much like family. All the ups and downs and the byways," he said as he brought over the coffee. "We've stood up for each other at weddings, held onto each other at funerals, paced the floors for each other at births. I'm godfather to her son. She's a magnificent woman. I'm honored to be her friend."